Se7en Affiliates

Saturday Spot: The Mending Bag And Se7en Steps To Getting It Done…

Our mending bag was so burdened that it has been holding up a broken chair in the kitchen for “I just don’t know how long…” Well we unpacked it and discovered many long lost treasures!!! Not to mention heaps of unfinished projects. In fact most of our mending wasn’t mending at all, it was projects begun and simply forgotten.

I know not the most exciting event of the week but sometimes life is all about maintenance!!! I have been going on about the mending somewhat, other folk are blogging about theirs… You see ours hangs in a small bag behind the front door, along with the “to donate” bag and once a week I settle down and mend the couple of things that land in the bag. Nothing major mind you: a torn book or two, a dab of glue, a button or a patch. All quick and easy.

Hang on that was in my life before blogging. Ahem… And I no longer spend one evening a week or even a month catching up on the mending… not at all!!! Needless to say the mending expanded to a much bigger bag.

So here you go: Se7en Steps to getting the mending done…

Enlist a friend – it will hold you accountable: Our mending had become bigger than I could easily cope with. And If that happens you can either do it little tiny bit by tiny bit – or… I had the mending fairy call. After my third blog mention that “I must address the mending” she rang and said: “I am coming to help you with your mending.” And what could I say… well I could have said: “No we are fine I just need to sit down and do it.” True, but instead out of my mouth fell: “That would be fantastic.” Because this would force me to do it like nothing else on earth would!!! The fact is I never sit down and I needed someone to say “Today is the day” and then just do it.﻿ Also just having someone to talk to really helped to keep it going… trust me on this you don’t want to face a massive mending pile alone.

Sort into piles of different types of mending: Turns out our mending wasn’t all mending. It was a dump zone for all unfinished projects and a whole heap of things I just didn’t know what to do with!!! It was packed with fabric scraps, we have a place for fabric scraps elsewhere, clearly a case of “too far to walk!!!” Also sorting it gave us a good idea of what we were dealing with…

Discard the junk: Just putting the stash of fabric scraps where they belong and tossing the unmendables meant that our pile was already half the original size.

Have the right tools handy: I really believe in keeping similar things together, in the same place, and I have a drawer for mending equipment. Glue, good quality tape and contact paper for books. Super glue for toys. A basic sewing kit with threads, needles, scissors and elastic… there is also a hammer there – but that is for mending of a more serious nature!!!

Start easy: It is very rewarding to get even one thing done. Seriously, this pile didn’t have a single task that took longer than five minutes. Really a pile of tiny little job. In fact, it takes longer to take out the tools and return them to where they belong.

Do one type of mending till you are done with it: It is so good to say that a whole section is done, and being able to say “The books are done” or whatever. Some how a section done is very encouraging and can spur you on to the next task. A bit of this and a bit of that might be as much work but it doesn’t look like you are finishing anything and it is enough to leave you whimpering in despair!!!

Don’t stop until you are finished: It is okay to take breaks… I must have changed four diapers (someone is teething again), made lunch for ten people, collected the post in, cleaned the bathroom, baked an afternoon snack and responded to countless requests from short people. It was by no means a continuous process!!! But perseverance one the day and eventually we finished.

And the Se7en +1th Thing:

Put everything away: Put all the fixed things away and all the tools you used. But just do it… And I promise you you won’t feel like it!!! I have known mending projects to finish and months later left over bits and pieces can make you feel like you have barely begun.

Turns out we made a day of it… and our mending is is done: books, bags, toys, everything… and a heap of projects got finished at the same time!!! Even one skirt became two…

And this little person is finally made!!!

And there are of course strange and eclectic left overs…

And what on earth do I do with the three headless musketeers… It would be seriously uncool to “discard” them but do I really want to live with three headless/limbless action men? I know my answer to that but not everyone may agree with me!!!

A huge thanks to our mending friend, Irene, there is not even the remotest chance I would have started without you… let alone kept going all day until we were done!!!! And what a fun day out turned out to be – there is nothing like working alongside someone for a good dose of happiness and a complete break from every day humdrum. Really a friend indeed who called and made me get started and then sat at our sewing machine all day and tackled whatever was tossed at her… EVERYTHING!!! I can never thank-you enough!!!

That’s us… mending done, and my pre-spring purge is going well!!! I have given myself a time limit and will blog about it we are done.

What a genius idea!! I really love the suggestion of putting a tool kit together! I am off to do this right now. Thanks so much for sharing! I linked to you here http://www.apurposedrivenhome.com/?p=1612 🙂